Prescriber Collaboration
Why Enhance Prescriber Collaboration?
Prescriber Challenge
Physicians and other prescribers are facing growing pressures due to an influx of patients seeking care, increasing administrative requirements, and payment being tied to quality. Coupled with a looming physician shortage, prescribers are being challenged to meet patients' needs. With all the pressures, patients might wait months for an appointment and doctors often can only focus on a patient's chief complaint, leaving most minor and chronic conditions unaddressed.
Pharmacist Opportunity
Opportunity beckons as today's contemporary pharmacists already have the training and skills to address their patients' problems. Pharmacists can increase patient access to care, decrease the overall number of hospitalizations, improve patient outcomes, and reduce total net health care spend.
Collaborative Practice Agreements
Pharmacists are practicing in an interdisciplinary team environment. Opportunities exist for pharmacists to collaborate with other healthcare professionals which can result in improved patient outcomes and reduce overall costs. While pharmacists continue to advocate for provider status nationwide, pharmacists are already providing expanded patient care services through collaborative practice agreements (CPAs). CPAs are voluntary, formal relationships between pharmacists and physicians or other providers that allow for certain patient care functions, including but not limited to modification or initiation of drug therapy, performing, interpreting, or ordering laboratory tests, and conducting physical assessments, as authorized by the practitioner under specified situations and conditions. Expanding enhanced services opens the door for community pharmacists to embed themselves within a provider's practice or provide additional patient care services directly in the pharmacy.
Chronic Care Management (CCM)
Another area where pharmacists can make an impact on patient outcomes and be compensated for the services provided is chronic care management. Chronic Care Management is a monthly management program for Medicare patients with two or more chronic conditions. Community pharmacists can provide just about every CCM activity under a physician's supervision, and can assist prescribers obtain a more complete picture of their patients. Pharmacists are in a prime position to manage patients with complex medication regimens and improve a physician's quality measures.
Chronic Care Management: An Opportunity for Collaboration
This webinar reviewed new revenue generating opportunities for pharmacists who embrace new models of patient care. The speaker also discussed how Medicare's Chronic Care Management (CCM) program gives pharmacists an avenue to collaborate with physicians and develop contractual partnerships.
Chronic Care Management: An Opportunity for Collaboration
Mandy Irvin, PharmD, Rx Clinic Pharmacy #2, Charlotte, N.C.; Desiree Gaines, PharmD, Rx Clinic Pharmacy #2, Charlotte, N.C.
Pharmacist Resources
How Do I Identify a Prescriber?
One method to find a collaborator is to begin with the providers you already know.
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Selecting and Approaching a Physician Use these tips from our Simplify My Meds® to help you get started.
Another consideration is to reach out to prescribers who share a common goal.
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Physician Compare Look in this database for providers who may be interested in improving their quality metrics.
What are the steps to establishing a collaborative practice agreement?
NASPA Collaborative Practice Agreements: Resources and More The National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations has curated a host of resources to assist pharmacists developing CPAs.
Implementation Guide The Centers for Disease Control for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention has created a resource that provides an overview of CPAs.
Where can I find more information about chronic care management?
Connected Care CMS has developed the following resource page to inform health care professionals about CCM.
Sample Collaborative Agreements